32 Rust Avenue , Whangarei
View on mapTēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Whangarei Intermediate provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. The majority of tamariki whakapapa to Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu. The school mission is to create a positive, caring, learning community that enables students and teachers to realise individual potential.
Te Whānau o Waimirirangi provides learning through Level 1 and Level 2 Māori Medium Immersion for 131 of the 562 ākonga enrolled in the school.
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.
Part B: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how effectively the ‘Hangarau and Toi’ curriculum was implemented to support learners’ immersion in their language, culture and identity.
The school expected to see:
Māori enjoying and achieving education success as Māori.
Culturally responsive effective teaching for ākonga Māori.
Highly effective educational leadership, including culturally responsive learning contexts and systems.
Effective parent and whānau engagement.
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action is the increased collaboration and cohesion between specialist and classroom teachers. Students experience greater consistency across learning areas, and home school partnerships have been strengthened.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| Outcomes for learners are becoming more equitable. |
| Leadership increasingly fosters a culture committed to quality teaching and equity in learner outcomes. |
| Students have access to an increasingly responsive, broad and localised curriculum. |
| Systems and processes are being refined to improve outcomes for learners over time. |
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools
13 February 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of November 2024, the Whangarei Intermediate Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
For further information please contact Whangarei Intermediate School Board.
The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.
Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools
13 February 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools
13 February 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Whangarei Intermediate working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Whangārei Intermediate provides education for students in Years 7 and 8. The majority of tamariki whakapapa to Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu.
|
Pepehā o Te Kura Takawaenga o Whangārei Ko Parihaka te maunga Ko Waiarohia te awa Ko te Puna o te Mātauranga te whare Ko Kurapaewhiti te marae Ko Parawhau te hapū Ko Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu te iwi Ko te Kura Takawaenga o Whangārei
|
Our story Parihaka is the mountain Waiarohia is the stream Puna o te Mātauranga is the house Kurapaewhiti is the place Parawhau is our people of this land Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu is our people of this region Whangarei Intermediate School
|
Tirohanga – Vision:
Ma te whanaungatanga - through developing and maintaining strong relationships
Ka whai mātauranga te ākonga - knowledge can be found
Ka tū Rangatira - which will allow ākonga to stand with confidence.
Whangarei Intermediate’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Our tamariki are embracing language, culture and identity
Our tamariki are embracing technology
Our tamariki are embracing teamwork
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whangarei Intermediate’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the ‘Hangarau and Toi’ curriculum is implemented to support learners to be immersed in their language, culture and identity.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
involve the current teachers of the Hangarau and Toi curriculum in the review
inform the intended shift to Te Ao Māori underpinning the school-wide curriculum
contribute to a school-wide focus on improving student attendance and engagement
contribute to the school’s understanding of the aspirations of whānau Māori for their tamariki at Whangārei Intermediate.
The school expects to see:
highly effective educational leadership, including culturally responsive learning contexts and systems
culturally responsive effective teaching for ākonga Māori
effective parent and whānau engagement
Māori enjoying and achieving education success as Māori
improved Māori learner progress and achievement (including proficiency in te reo Māori).
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate their Hangarau and Toi curriculum:
a localised curriculum which is developed with the local hapū, Te Parawhau
school leaders prioritise Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including a commitment to embedding the use of te reo Māori.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
collection of community voice, including tamarki, kaiako, whānau and the local hapū to inform this evalution
kaiako working with ERO to build internal evaluation capability and capacity to support positive outcomes for tamariki.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
21 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of April 2022, the Whangarei Intermediate Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Whangarei Intermediate, School Board.
The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
21 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
Whangārei Intermediate’s provision for international students is reviewed annually. Specific polices and procedures related to international students can be found on the school’s website.
Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
21 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Whangarei Intermediate School is providing all learners with high quality education. Students make very good progress and achieve well. The curriculum is very effective particularly in the way te reo/tikanga Māori and digital technologies enhance learning. There is a strong school-wide focus on the wellbeing of young adolescents.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Whangarei Intermediate School in Northland caters for learners in Years 7 and 8. Students are predominantly learners of Pākehā or Māori descent.
There are five teaching whānau including Waiarohia, Ngahere Kowhai, Kahurangi and Parihaka. The bilingual whānau, Te Whānau o Waimirirangi, has grown since the ERO review in 2013 and now comprises five classrooms.
Students experience a rich curriculum offering many additional educational opportunities and learning activities. The school currently runs seven digital classrooms supported by the Tai Tokerau Education Trust for the Te Puawai cluster which facilitates technology development in a group of schools in the Whangarei area.
The school value of whānaungtanga, based on family, is becoming deeply embedded in school culture. This value also promotes learning through akonga with meaningful collaboration between home and school partnerships evident in children’s learning. The school’s culture is being revitalised through a Ministry of Education initiative, Positive Behaviour for Learning.
School leaders responded positively to the recommendations in the 2013 ERO report. Formative learning is now an established part of teacher practice and there is increasing opportunity for students to contribute to curriculum planning and school organisation. The implementation of the school Māori language plan has taken place. Te reo is viewed as an essential learning area in the curriculum for all students.
The board of trustees has a strong focus on student wellbeing and prioritises resources for those students who experience challenges and need additional help to learn and achieve.
The school uses achievement data very well to address the learning needs of those students who may not achieve or who learn differently. There are high levels of focus on successful outcomes for these priority students at all levels in the school.
The school’s achievement information shows that in 2015 there were significant upward shifts in school-wide National Standards results for reading, writing and mathematics, compared to data from the previous two years. By the end of Year 8 many students, including Māori learners, have made very good progress. There continues to be urgency needed in focusing on accelerating student progress in order to meet the government’s targets of 85 percent of students at or above the National Standards by 2017. In 2016 a schoolwide writing initiative for teachers’ professional development has been introduced to lift writing achievement levels across the school, especially for Māori boys.
Team leaders gather achievement information from class teachers to show how teachers make a difference in accelerating outcomes for targeted learners. The effective shifts in teacher practice that bring about success are shared by both teams and year levels. The senior leadership team collate and analyse class and team information and comment on shifts in achievement levels school-wide.
Teachers reflect and plan in deliberate ways to bring about improvement for all students. School leaders make good use of external facilitators when more staff professional learning is needed to bring about desired changes. Learning for teachers is purposeful and meaningful and aligns well to strategic goals.
Student agency in learning is developing well. Many learners are able to use a variety of resources such as rubrics, sets of success criteria and matrices to evaluate and maximise progress in their own learning independently.
During this review ERO and school leaders discussed some of the next steps to enhance students' learning opportunities. These include:
The Whangarei Intermediate School curriculum promotes student learning very successfully. It is closely aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), is responsive, inclusive and makes good use of cross – curricular opportunities for learning. Teaching is relationships-based and most students feel well connected to their classroom peers and programmes.
The school’s curriculum plan is called He Pukapuka Matauranga and it is highly effective in the ways it reflects the vision and principles of the NZC. It is a locally derived curriculum developed in consultation with iwi, whānau and the parent community. Te Puiwaitanga is the school’s process for learning as inquiry, again developed for the school, with the community. Both of these documents cater for student voice and action to be part of the curriculum’s design. All students have equitable, effective opportunities to learn in inclusive environments.
The curriculum has a two-year overview that focuses on understanding a series of significant learning concepts such as connection to place. Another curriculum feature is the detailed attention given to the breadth and depth of adolescent hauora throughout the two years students attend the school.
There are five specialist teachers, in addition to core classroom teachers, who offer programmes in performance art, visual art, music, food and nutrition and exploring technology. Furthermore an enrichment programme offers creative activities and groupings outside of the classroom structure. Regular opportunities are offered to students such as musical performance and contemporary dance groups that work towards roadshow productions which are performed in contributing primary schools and at other community events. Students enjoy their learning and are developing many useful competencies and capabilities.
Further curriculum development is occurring in Te Whānau o Waimirirangi. The whānau's bilingual curriculum is named Kia Māori Mai. A further seven classrooms work on the basis of collaborative classroom practice and enhance learning through technology with the use of chrome books provided by the Te Tai Tokerau Trust. In both of these initiatives highly effective learning is occurring beyond the school day, beyond the classroom, and often involves whānau at home.
Culturally responsive pedagogy is acknowledged and prioritised in all classrooms. As a result the curriculum is made relevant for every child. The Ministry of Education’s document Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners, is embedded in teachers’ planning. Mixed ability groupings in all learning areas, including mathematics, promote equitable opportunities for all learners.
Māori students make up 49% of the school roll. The school is working very effectively to promote educational success for Māori through affirmation of language, culture and identity.
There has been a major expansion of Te Whānau o Waimirirangi’s bilingual classes to strengthen Māori learners’ identity if they choose to join. The curriculum taught in the whānau unit, sets out the attributes, skills, leadership and knowledge decided from the collective aspirations of whānau and Te Parawhau hapu.
Te Aka Puawai Matua Rōpū is an active group of whānau and teachers working together in the school. They are a consultative body and have worked on strategic planning and curriculum. Te Rōpū Atawhai Mātua is another group of parent tutors for kapa haka which is a strong element in the identity of the school.
The board of trustees and school leaders have signalled a strong commitment to te reo Māori. All classes have a timetabled component of Māori language per week, taught by the classroom teacher. Ten of the school’s staff are involved in professional development for te reo, five are enrolled in Te Marautanga a Aotearoa for 2015/2016 and five in Te reo o te Kaiako.
School leaders are working towards a vision where the philosophy of Waimirirangi will extend across the school, in time, for all learners.
Whangarei Intermediate School is very well placed to sustain and improve. A strong vision is in place that is shared by the board and school leaders. An experienced principal and senior leadership team have been in their roles for a number of years. The principal has high expectations of staff to deliver the strategic goals set out in the school charter.
Effective stewardship supports the learning of all students. The board views its core business as supporting and promoting student progress towards achievement. They also share and prioritise a robust focus on student wellbeing. Comprehensive board documents reflect the board’s work and commitment to the development of the school.
Trustees reflect the diverse community and bring different expertise to their stewardship role. Some of the board bring governance experience from other schools. Training opportunities are welcomed by the board and most have attended School Trustees Association (STA) conferences.
School leaders use evaluation processes very well to support ongoing school improvement. They consult widely and listen to multiple voices in making decisions that affect the future direction of the school. An example of this is the student support worker position, funded by the board.
School leaders are currently interested in forming a Community of Learning and are about to embark upon expressions of interest to the Ministry of Education. They are keen to build relationships and align with other schools such as the Te Puawai cluster which leads digital learning in the Whangarei area, for both teachers and parents.
Further considerations to strengthen the school’s sustainability and performance could include:
At the time of this review Whangarei Intermediate School has two international students. Students are integrated into school life and benefit from good levels of tuition.
The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. The board could receive more regular information about the progress and achievement of international students and undertake further, regular self-review in relation to the quality of pastoral care and services provided.
ERO’s investigations confirmed that the school’s self-review processes for international students are satisfactory but could be more comprehensive.
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
Whangarei Intermediate School is providing all learners with high quality education. Students make very good progress and achieve well. The curriculum is very effective particularly in the way te reo/tikanga Māori and digital technologies enhance learning. There is a strong school-wide focus on the wellbeing of young adolescents.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
7 September 2016
|
Location |
Whangarei |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1129 |
|
|
School type |
Intermediate (Years 7 to 8) |
|
|
School roll |
601 |
|
|
Number of international students |
2 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 50% Girls 50% |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Pacific other |
49% 41% 3% 3% 4% |
|
Special Features |
Te Whānau o Waimirirangi (bilingual unit) |
|
|
Review team on site |
June 2016 |
|
|
Date of this report |
7 September 2016 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
June 2013 September 2010 September 2007 |